


For You A Thousand Times Over

by Ellienerd14



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game), Life Is Strange 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Family Feels, Gen, I'm just emotional over this game, Introspection, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:27:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21806623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellienerd14/pseuds/Ellienerd14
Summary: Karen: on having her two sons under care again after so long.If this was her second chance, her redemption, Karen would take it. For the memory of Esteban, if nothing else.
Relationships: Daniel Diaz & Sean Diaz, Esteban Diaz/Karen Reynolds, Sean Diaz & Karen Reynolds
Comments: 10
Kudos: 43





	For You A Thousand Times Over

**Author's Note:**

> Title and starting quote comes from Khaled Hosseini's 'The Kite Runner', a book also about brothers and the long journeys they go to redeem themselves.

**_'She hadn't needed much help at all, because, even in birth, Hassan was true to his nature: he was incapable of hurting anyone. A few grunts, a couple of pushes and out came Hassan. Out he came smiling.'_ **

* * *

I t wasn’t until Sean fell asleep that Daniel said anything. Until then, her youngest son - not that she felt like it was right to call him that - had been silent, watching the back of his brother’s head. Sean had described him as talkative and friendly but she hadn’t gotten either of those vibes from him. The mess at the Church must have shaken him. 

Sean, however, seemed comfortable enough to fall asleep, his hand still resting over his injured stomach. 

Daniel leant forward, calling his brother's name in a panic and shaking his shoulders. He blinked sleepily and then drifted off again. 

Karen watched the gentle rise of his chest. “He’s fi.... he’s just asleep Daniel.” 

“Oh.” He slumped back into his seat. “He got hurt pretty bad, I thought maybe…” 

“Sean is tough, he’ll be okay.” Karen hoped so at least. Watching him take the beating over and over had been awful. He was in bad shape now, but he was breathing at least.

“Last time he got hurt badly, he wouldn’t wake up and I thought…” Daniel curled up on himself, “I missed him a lot.” 

Karen glanced in the mirror, catching the worried look on his face. She wanted, surprising herself, to comfort him. But what right did she have? 

Instead, she went for a safer offer. “You can go to sleep too. You’re safe here.” 

Daniel lay his head against the window, eyes half-closed. He didn’t say anything but Karen had a feeling she was what kept from allowing himself to drift off as well. 

* * *

They stopped off at a motel two hours away from Haven Point. Karen was certain that any chance of Lisbeth or any members of her Church finding them was slim. But she still closed the curtains tight. She couldn’t risk anyone taking her boys away. (Not that she had the right to call them that. Or anything.) 

“Hey  _ Superwolf,  _ could you help me with something?” 

“Of course.” 

Sean rooted through his bag and pulled out his wallet. “Could you get me a snack from the vending machine? I’m kinda hungry.” 

“Okay!” Daniel took the five dollar bill from him. “Hey, could I get-“ 

“A choc-o-crisp? Of course.” 

“Awesome. I haven’t had one in weeks.” 

Sean laughed, groaning after and clutching at his stomach. 

“Sean?” 

“I’m okay.” He managed a pained smile. 

As soon as Daniel had pushed past her to the vending machine across the hall, Sean tipped his bag out, finding the medical supplies for his eye. 

“I don't want him to see how bad it is,” he said, hobbling over to the mirror and applying cream. 

“Did he…” 

“It was an accident,” Sean explained quietly, “you can see what Daniel can do. But he doesn’t always have control.” 

“Does he know?” 

“I don’t think so,” Sean answered. He pulled the eye patch down, covering the scar. “Jake said he seemed like he was in shock after… He wouldn’t hurt me like this on purpose.” 

“Sean, his power is dangerous. Earlier, with Lisbeth, he just threw her. What if...” 

“He’s not-“ 

Sean looked like he might argue further but they were interrupted by Daniel running back in, arms full, chocolate smeared on his face. He didn’t look dangerous at the moment and despite the accident, Sean wasn’t scared; he ruffled Daniel’s (terrible) hair. 

“I got this from your room at Lisbeth’s house.” Sean passed him a yellow sweatshirt. “Better than that white shirt, right?” 

“I like it.” 

“No way. And we’re doing something with that hair too.  _ Enano!” _

The nickname brought back a half-forgotten memory for Karen. 

_ “You can do it!”  _

_ The voice had been hushed but the light spilling from under the door gave Sean away.  _

_ Karen had pushed it open another inch, enough to see Sean in Batman pyjamas standing over Daniel’s cot.  _

_ Her youngest was standing up on chubby legs, one hand clutching the bars of the cot, the other clutching to his brother’s fingers.  _

_ “Come on Enano,” Sean urged, holding out his other hand.  _

_ Daniel reached out, holding onto Sean tightly but standing up without the support of the cot.  _

_ “Dad’s going to be so proud!”  _

_ Baby Daniel gurgled in response but even then he was smiling up at Sean in admiration.  _

At the time, even a sight like that had left her feeling hollow. She loved Daniel, even then, when it felt like he was sucking everything out of her life. He smiled more than Sean had at his age but he demanded so much attention, so much energy. Daniel’s birth had been so easy, less than hour, she didn’t even need stitches after, and he had been born smiling. 

Karen had closed the door on the scene of her sons playing and locked herself in her room. But, now that wasn’t an answer. Her boys were the ones running, not her. Looking at them together didn’t feel like such a burden now, it felt like a relief. 

If this was her second chance, her redemption, Karen would take it. For the memory of Esteban, if nothing else. 

God, Sean looked so much like him. They’d only been three years older than he was when they first met. He made her laugh so much. They had so much hope then. They held infinity in their hands. Where had it all gone wrong? 

“Karen?”

“Sorry.” There was no time for regrets now. 

“I just asked…” Sean glanced over at Daniel, curled up in his yellow sweatshirt under an old blanket, “where do we go now?” 

When he frowned, his forehead creased in the same way as Esteban’s did once. When did he get so grown up? 

If this was her second chance, Karen knew what she had to do. 

“I have a home in Arizona. It’s a little unconventional but you can stay there for a little. To gather your strength.” 

Sean stayed quiet for a moment and she fought the instinct to smooth out the frown from his face. She half-expected him to snap at her, or for any agreement to be reluctant, a surrender because they were out of options. 

“Okay,” he said softly, “thanks Mom.” 

He was so tired that it must have been unintentional. But Sean didn’t flinch from it, or snatch it back. He lay down beside Daniel, who shuffled closer to his brother, even in his sleep. 

They had been laying like that when Karen last saw them, having fallen asleep on the couch downstairs. Daniel had only been one - when you felt nothing at your son’s first birthday, it really showed she was done with Motherhood - and Sean eight. It had been after a final whispered argument with Esteban and she’d snatched up an old craft project of Sean’s on the way out. 

It had been comforting then, because Sean was already parenting Daniel better than she ever could have, to see them together. 

Now, there was no more running away. Karen would help her boys and then maybe then she’d feel justified calling them that. 

**Author's Note:**

> Ive had this in my drafts since 'Faith' came out so I finally got round to finishing and publishing it.  
> I really love how Karen is portrayed in the game. I hope I did her justice here.
> 
> Comments encouraged please ❤️


End file.
